15 Movies That NEED To Be Watched Twice To Understand Fully

1. 'Memento'

Christopher Nolan's neo-noir thriller told by a man with anterograde amnesia is as necessary a re-watch as Guy Pearce's main character Leonard Shelby needed his notes. The fragmented and nonlinear structure of the movie makes it near-impenetrable the first time around. When you see the ending however you might want to see the movie again - in reverse.

2. 'Mulholland Drive'

There's no one that is more of a mind-bending maestro than David Lynch, and his ode to the darkness of Hollywood is one of them. Many film critics were scratching their heads at what the movie meant. To be honest, it will take more than two to really get a feel for what's going on between the two ladies.

3. 'Lost Highway'

Time for a "WTF David Lynch?" double feature!" If you've seen the previous movie and had problems with complete personality shifts, then you definitely had an issue with the abrupt change of Bill Pullman to Balthazar Getty in this one. Was it his dream, or was it something else?

4. 'Fight Club'

One of the most famous movies of the 2000s also had one of its best twists. After you find out just how the Narrator and Tyler Durden are connected, you can go back and check out the many little details about their relationship. For example, after Tyler crashes the car, the Narrator comes out from the driver's side.

5. 'The Usual Suspects'

Five random felons tied together by a mysterious crime lord are the makings for a good heist movie, but this was anything but. Spacey's performance as Verbal Kint cleverly masks his true identity. Once you know you want to give it another look to see if you can see where Kint ends and Soze begins.

6. 'Donnie Darko'

There's multiple interpretations to this dark teenage sci-fi film. On first viewing, it could be a bizarre time travel movie, in the second, just the hallucinations of a paranoid schizophrenic. Even Jake Gyllenhaal has no clue what the movie is about.

7. 'Primer'

This may be the holy grail of confusing time-travel movies. it's short, but that doesn't change the fact you are watching a movie with a complex narrative. Consider that there are at least nine different timelines in the movie, and you don't see all of them.

8. 'Cloud Atlas'

The movie might not be as dense as the novel it comes from, but it still has parts that seem equally as difficult. Seeing Tom Hanks shift from character to character across centuries confuses viewers the first time they seem them. Expanded analysis of the movie and how the Wachowskis work can help second viewings more open.

9. 'The Sixth Sense'

The movie that launched M. Night Shyalaman's career was also the most rewatched. While everyone looked around for the ghosts Haley Joel Osment told Bruce Willis about, no one realized that all they had to do was just keep their eyes on good ol' Bruce himself. The movie gets so much colder and spookier when you see it from that lens.

10. 'Shutter Island'

If you're watching a movie with the character going into an insane asylum, expect a repeat viewing. Leo's detective work gets him locked up in a looney bin, but the twist ending gets him more screwed up than before - or was he? It's not really sure, even to DiCaprio or Scorcese.

12. '12 Monkeys'

A time-traveling Bruce Willis has to deal with his messed-up mind as he tries to save the world from the apocalypse. The concept of dreams and memories play into the madness of this movie. Even though it has a determinist ending, the movie itself doesn't go out of its way to explain how it gets there.

13. 'Inception'

Consider this Nolan's big-budget attempt at a mind-bending similar to Memento. The "dream-within-a-dream" structure of the movie gets equally disorienting and exciting, but the next time you see it the crew's dive into each others' dreams are not as confusing. Then there's the ending - does the top keep spinning, or will it drop?

14. 'The Fountain'

Darren Aronofsky created this sci-fi movie about love, death and immortality. Then he split it into three time periods intertwined, two of which are incredibly trippy on their own. It's severely underrated and definitely needs multiple viewings to understand.

15. 'The Book Of Eli'

This post-apocalyptic flick starring Denzel Washington is pretty straightforward - he's taking out raiders as a bad-ass preacher in the wastes. But when the massive twist is revealed, you can't help but want to see it from Eli's eyes again. Or in this case, the rest of his senses.

15 Movies That NEED To Be Watched Twice To Understand Fully

1. 'Memento'

Christopher Nolan's neo-noir thriller told by a man with anterograde amnesia is as necessary a re-watch as Guy Pearce's main character Leonard Shelby needed his notes. The fragmented and nonlinear structure of the movie makes it near-impenetrable the first time around. When you see the ending however you might want to see the movie again - in reverse.

2. 'Mulholland Drive'

There's no one that is more of a mind-bending maestro than David Lynch, and his ode to the darkness of Hollywood is one of them. Many film critics were scratching their heads at what the movie meant. To be honest, it will take more than two to really get a feel for what's going on between the two ladies.

3. 'Lost Highway'

Time for a "WTF David Lynch?" double feature!" If you've seen the previous movie and had problems with complete personality shifts, then you definitely had an issue with the abrupt change of Bill Pullman to Balthazar Getty in this one. Was it his dream, or was it something else?

15 Movies That NEED To Be Watched Twice To Understand Fully

1. 'Memento'

Christopher Nolan's neo-noir thriller told by a man with anterograde amnesia is as necessary a re-watch as Guy Pearce's main character Leonard Shelby needed his notes. The fragmented and nonlinear structure of the movie makes it near-impenetrable the first time around. When you see the ending however you might want to see the movie again - in reverse.

2. 'Mulholland Drive'

There's no one that is more of a mind-bending maestro than David Lynch, and his ode to the darkness of Hollywood is one of them. Many film critics were scratching their heads at what the movie meant. To be honest, it will take more than two to really get a feel for what's going on between the two ladies.

3. 'Lost Highway'

Time for a "WTF David Lynch?" double feature!" If you've seen the previous movie and had problems with complete personality shifts, then you definitely had an issue with the abrupt change of Bill Pullman to Balthazar Getty in this one. Was it his dream, or was it something else?

4. 'Fight Club'

One of the most famous movies of the 2000s also had one of its best twists. After you find out just how the Narrator and Tyler Durden are connected, you can go back and check out the many little details about their relationship. For example, after Tyler crashes the car, the Narrator comes out from the driver's side.

5. 'The Usual Suspects'

Five random felons tied together by a mysterious crime lord are the makings for a good heist movie, but this was anything but. Spacey's performance as Verbal Kint cleverly masks his true identity. Once you know you want to give it another look to see if you can see where Kint ends and Soze begins.

15 Movies That NEED To Be Watched Twice To Understand Fully

1. 'Memento'

Christopher Nolan's neo-noir thriller told by a man with anterograde amnesia is as necessary a re-watch as Guy Pearce's main character Leonard Shelby needed his notes. The fragmented and nonlinear structure of the movie makes it near-impenetrable the first time around. When you see the ending however you might want to see the movie again - in reverse.

15 Movies That NEED To Be Watched Twice To Understand Fully

1. 'Memento'

Christopher Nolan's neo-noir thriller told by a man with anterograde amnesia is as necessary a re-watch as Guy Pearce's main character Leonard Shelby needed his notes. The fragmented and nonlinear structure of the movie makes it near-impenetrable the first time around. When you see the ending however you might want to see the movie again - in reverse.

2. 'Mulholland Drive'

There's no one that is more of a mind-bending maestro than David Lynch, and his ode to the darkness of Hollywood is one of them. Many film critics were scratching their heads at what the movie meant. To be honest, it will take more than two to really get a feel for what's going on between the two ladies.

3. 'Lost Highway'

Time for a "WTF David Lynch?" double feature!" If you've seen the previous movie and had problems with complete personality shifts, then you definitely had an issue with the abrupt change of Bill Pullman to Balthazar Getty in this one. Was it his dream, or was it something else?

4. 'Fight Club'

One of the most famous movies of the 2000s also had one of its best twists. After you find out just how the Narrator and Tyler Durden are connected, you can go back and check out the many little details about their relationship. For example, after Tyler crashes the car, the Narrator comes out from the driver's side.

5. 'The Usual Suspects'

Five random felons tied together by a mysterious crime lord are the makings for a good heist movie, but this was anything but. Spacey's performance as Verbal Kint cleverly masks his true identity. Once you know you want to give it another look to see if you can see where Kint ends and Soze begins.

6. 'Donnie Darko'

There's multiple interpretations to this dark teenage sci-fi film. On first viewing, it could be a bizarre time travel movie, in the second, just the hallucinations of a paranoid schizophrenic. Even Jake Gyllenhaal has no clue what the movie is about.

7. 'Primer'

This may be the holy grail of confusing time-travel movies. it's short, but that doesn't change the fact you are watching a movie with a complex narrative. Consider that there are at least nine different timelines in the movie, and you don't see all of them.

8. 'Cloud Atlas'

The movie might not be as dense as the novel it comes from, but it still has parts that seem equally as difficult. Seeing Tom Hanks shift from character to character across centuries confuses viewers the first time they seem them. Expanded analysis of the movie and how the Wachowskis work can help second viewings more open.

9. 'The Sixth Sense'

The movie that launched M. Night Shyalaman's career was also the most rewatched. While everyone looked around for the ghosts Haley Joel Osment told Bruce Willis about, no one realized that all they had to do was just keep their eyes on good ol' Bruce himself. The movie gets so much colder and spookier when you see it from that lens.

10. 'Shutter Island'

If you're watching a movie with the character going into an insane asylum, expect a repeat viewing. Leo's detective work gets him locked up in a looney bin, but the twist ending gets him more screwed up than before - or was he? It's not really sure, even to DiCaprio or Scorcese.

12. '12 Monkeys'

A time-traveling Bruce Willis has to deal with his messed-up mind as he tries to save the world from the apocalypse. The concept of dreams and memories play into the madness of this movie. Even though it has a determinist ending, the movie itself doesn't go out of its way to explain how it gets there.

13. 'Inception'

Consider this Nolan's big-budget attempt at a mind-bending similar to Memento. The "dream-within-a-dream" structure of the movie gets equally disorienting and exciting, but the next time you see it the crew's dive into each others' dreams are not as confusing. Then there's the ending - does the top keep spinning, or will it drop?

14. 'The Fountain'

Darren Aronofsky created this sci-fi movie about love, death and immortality. Then he split it into three time periods intertwined, two of which are incredibly trippy on their own. It's severely underrated and definitely needs multiple viewings to understand.

15. 'The Book Of Eli'

This post-apocalyptic flick starring Denzel Washington is pretty straightforward - he's taking out raiders as a bad-ass preacher in the wastes. But when the massive twist is revealed, you can't help but want to see it from Eli's eyes again. Or in this case, the rest of his senses.